Sector Four
by Baze Epsilon
Summary: Sometimes some things would be better left alone. Knowing isn't always the best, sometimes nothing good can come from it. But there is still hope, there is always hope. That, or just not knowing when the quit.
1. Prologue

I do not own what I write about, Halo, and its world belong to its creators.

**Prologue**

_**Sector Four **_

A thin line of smoke rose into the air, escaping from the end of the man's cigarette. And at first glance, he looked pretty cool, standing there under an overcast sky, smoking a cig, and holding a Battle Rifle. Asher narrowed his eyes, looking out over the cold rolling seas in front of him. This place was a mistake. Sector Four never should have happened. Asher tossed the spent cigarette on the ground and stomped it out with the heel of his boot, still looking out at the ice cold waves. It wasn't enough that the human race had survived. But they had to bring just one to this planet. Had to run tests, see what makes it tick. Asher felt his anger rising and picked up a rock. He looked down at it for a moment, still thinking. Hadn't they ever thought, ever wondered what would happen if it escaped? They must have, but then again, people were expendable.

In a sudden burst of anger Asher threw the rock as far out as he could, trying to hit the ocean on the other side of the rocky beach. It wasn't fair. They had been begged, pleaded, bribed, and threatened. By him, by other soldiers, by the citizens of Earth, but they didn't listen.

"Sure is an ugly day out, ain't it Ash?"  
Asher knew the voice, he didn't turn around. "I don't mind."  
"Eh? Lover boy doesn't mind? It's been a-"  
"I know, what it's been, Seth." Asher held his gun tighter, speaking through clenched teeth. "I know."  
It started to rain then, and Asher just mentally heard the footsteps come closer behind him. He didn't need to look over to see Seth's brown eyes looking over at him, he knew they were.  
"Asher… you know part of getting over the past, is accepting it happened."  
"Corporal Asher Graham please report to room 57," The intercom cut through the cold rain and wind beating down on the two soldiers. Asher shut his eyes and turned, opening them to see the door before he started walking toward it.  
"Asher." Seth called after him, "You heard me!" Seth yelled back to his friend as he stopped to swipe his pass key in the door and punch in the access code. Asher slipped through, out of the rain, and let the door slide shut behind him.  
"It could have been prevented." He muttered angrily. "That is what I care about."

Hurrah… I haven't written in a long time, I hope whoever reads this like it. Read and Review, thanks. I'll try to get chapter one up as soon as I can.


	2. I

Sector Four

_**Sector Four**_

**I  
**

"Dang girl! Where'd you learn to get air like that?"

"I wish she didn't know… drive a little slower will you?!"

"Oh suck it up princess. Just remember to hurl with the wind, not against it when you do." Jennifer, or Jen, smirked, hearing the other soldier start laughing at the poor technician sitting beside her in the Warthog. The powerful wheels shot them forward, ripping up the desert sand and carving marks into it. "Besides, we're almost there."

The small base in the desert was an oasis, a boat in a sea of sand. It must have had the only food and water for miles. From the distance is didn't look like much, just a few buildings slapped there on some tarmac and a helicopter pad for deliveries. And in truth, Jen didn't really know what the purpose of the base was. She didn't care. All she wanted was to drop this wimpy tech off and get the hell out of this desert.

The brakes on the Warthog squealed as they stopped at the gate to the base and surrendered their ID's and purpose. After that, they were cleared and she drove into the base. "There, now was that so bad?" She grinned at the man beside her, who just shook his head and jumped out of the vehicle.

"Thanks." He muttered before looking from each building, then finally deciding on one and left, walking toward it. Jennifer sighed, before pressing on the gas a little and heading to refuel the hog; only five more hours in this heat before she was transferred to a new base, and she couldn't wait.

Markus stretched, leaning on the hood of the Warthog and watching Jen pump the gas into the vehicle. "So… this place you're going to, it have a name?"

"You know, they wouldn't tell me. Just kept saying it was top secret. Guess I'll just find out when I get there." She frowned, seeing Markus smirk. "What?"

"Why would they transfer you to a top secret base? You have the loudest mouth I've ever heard."

"Bastard." Jen glared at Markus before flashing him a smile. "You know I can keep a secret."

"I really don't."

"You really do." She shot back as she placed the cap back on the hog. "Don't give me that shit."

Markus let out a defeated sigh, and then smirked. "Gone are the days when women cooked and cleaned and lived only to please the men. Now they have become like Jennifer, almighty whore of Outpost 587."

"Yeah, I'm such a whore Markus, if I am, why haven't you gotten any?" She rolled her eyes before jumping in the front seat. "Come on, get in, we gotta get back."

With a slight chuckle, Markus slipped into the passenger seat of the vehicle, eyeing her before they shot off again.

Hurray, Chapter one is complete. Forgive me, it is too short, longer ones will come.


	3. II

Sector Four

_**Sector Four**_

**II**

Anniversaries were hell. Celebrating how long you have been married to someone, or dating, or a death, somehow the point was lost and sometimes it just unearthed bad memories that most would have preferred stay buried in their head.

Asher lay on his bed, arm over his closed eyes, trying to get some sleep. But the haunting memories of when Sector Four had turned into the portal from Hell to Earth kept him from doing so. He clenched his fist, gritted his teeth and suddenly felt very angry at how he had let her die.

"It wasn't your fault. You were following orders." Seth had said earlier in the mess hall, just trying to get Asher out of his self isolated state. It didn't help; it made Asher want to crawl under a rock and die. He knew damn well he didn't want to follow those orders, knew she didn't want him to go, but didn't want him to die either.

Asher sat up with a frustrated growl. And now command was sending a replacement. A person he wouldn't have had to meet for some very bad mistakes. The man glared at the covers he was sitting under. He had only realized a little while ago that he loathed people, hated himself because he was one. With a sigh Asher finally stood, his feet cold against the freezing ground, and started to dress.

"Yo Ash!" It was Seth of course. It was always Seth. No one else ever spoke to him unless they were giving him orders, and even those seemed to be fewer and fewer now. Asher opened the door, still without a shirt and looked at his smirking face.

"What?"

"Man the new guy isn't even a guy! It's a chick, and damn she's a hottie!" Seth's smirk split into a wide grin, making Asher want to smack him until he could no longer move.

"Well I suppose that's great for you, now isn't it." Asher commented dryly before closing the door until it hit Seth's boot. He groaned and opened it again. "Seth, what is it? I'm not like you; I don't hit on every bitch that walks into this place."

"I know, and you really should, might help you climb out of your black hole in the ground." Seth smirked. "But you should still come greet her."

"I should. Doesn't mean I have to."

"It does now, that's an order, now hurry up." Seth said, looking at Asher flatly as he enforced that fact that he was Asher's commanding officer now, not Ashley.

"Yes Sir." Asher said without enthusiasm, shutting the door and dressing the rest of his body before exciting the room.

"Aw come on Ash, it'll be fun to meet new people." Commented Seth upon seeing Asher's grave face. "You know how few there are here."

"Yeah, I do." Asher said, eyeing him before walking down the hall.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sector Four was an amazing research complex. Built to be secret from prying eyes, the majority of it was underground. To make things worse, the building was built on a secluded island, in the middle of the Southern Atlantic Ocean. Sean didn't mind the work, actually he preferred the company of computers, the blinking lights, the dumb AI. What he didn't like was being deep under the ocean, doing research on something that could easily kill him if there wasn't glass between him and the beast. Sean looked at the parasite and briefly wondered if it knew what was going on. "Eric."

"Yes Dr. Connor?"

"What time is it?"

"Three O'clock, sir."

"Ah, my shift is finished then."

"Correct."

"Please inform Carlos of the progress we have made today, and tell him that subject 3-C should be ready for examination."

"Noted and stored sir. Will there be anything else?"

"No, that's all, goodnight Eric."

"Goodnight Dr. Connor." Sean smiled slightly, hearing the cheery British voice of the AI wish him off, before shutting the door and heading toward the elevator, ready for sleep, despite it being the beginning of the day. He sighed, punched the button and leaned against the wall, only realizing now that night shifts were harder than they seemed.


End file.
